Myanmar hit by earthquake twice in 24 hours: Should tourists be worried?

An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 struck Myanmar on Thursday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said.

The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks.

In a post on X, the NCS said, “EQ of M: 4.0, On: 17/04/2025 12:02:36 IST, Lat: 21.95 N, Long: 96.10 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar.”

Earlier on Wednesday, an earthquake of magnitude 3.7 jolted Myanmar, the NCS said.

"EQ of M: 3.7, On: 16/04/2025 10:16:24 IST, Lat: 21.14 N, Long: 96.11 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar," it said in a post on X.

Shallow earthquakes like these are more dangerous than deeper ones due to their greater energy release closer to the Earth's surface. This causes stronger ground shaking and increased damage to structures and casualties, compared to deeper earthquakes, which lose energy as they travel to the surface.

Although Myanmar is an earthquake-prone country, there has not been proposed an official national seismic hazard map.

Due to the collision between the Eurasian and Indo-Australian plates, Myanmar is an area with a high seismic hazard level. According to the earthquake parameters summarized by the International Seismological Centre around 140 events with magnitude greater than or equal to 3.0 have taken place in Myanmar and its vicinity every year from 1990 to 2019.

Thus, it is evident that Myanmar is vulnerable to hazards from moderate and large magnitude earthquakes, including tsunami hazards along its long coastline.

The Sagaing Fault elevates the seismic hazard for Sagaing, Mandalay, Bago, and Yangon, which together represent 46 per cent of the population of Myanmar. Although Yangon is relatively far from the fault trace, it still suffers from significant risk due to its dense population. For instance, in 1903, an intensive earthquake with magnitude 7.0 that occurred in Bago also struck Yangon.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Myanmar on Thursday said that relief aid which was dispatched from India recently has been handed over to the Mandalay Chief Minister, Myo Aung, under the Operation Brahma.

The newly dispatched aid sent from India was handed over by the Indian Ambassador to Myanmar, Abhay Thakur, which contained a RO water plant, a Genset, rice, noodles, cooking oil, atta, sugar, dal, salt, MRES, blankets and medicines.